Joy
by Rae325
Summary: Domestic OQ and Regal Believer fluff. Pure, unabashed, teeth rotting fluff.


Robin wakes drenched in sweat, his head pounding, his mind muddled as the images from his dream begin to fade. Regina's broken body on the ground. His desperate but futile attempts to save her. The dreams of losing Regina never leave him completely, but the longer they are together the less often he wakes to images of her dead or gone. It's over a month since the last time he had this dream.

Still the dreams come frequently enough that he has his routine, that he knows that Regina wishes for him to wake her when such images invade his mind, that she will not stand for him suffering alone. He reaches for the warmth of Regina's body, needs to hold her and feel her breath against him. He needs her hands on him and her soft voice reassuring him.

But the bed is cool beside him, and though Robin knows rationally that Regina must have simply woken up early his heart pounds and tears flood his eyes. He nearly trips over himself trying to pull on a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt before bolting out of the bedroom and down the hall.

Robin hears her laughter before he even reaches the bottom of the stairs. Deep and rich and warm, and Robin feels the knot in his chest loosen. He takes a deep breath as he walks towards the kitchen, knows he won't feel completely calm again until she is in his arms.

"You have the cookies?" Regina is asking Henry as Robin slows down near the entry way to the kitchen.

"Yep, I have everything for the picnic. Thanks for helping me prepare the food."

"Of course sweetheart. And uh, Henry, you know where the condoms are upstairs."

"Oh my God Mom! You did not just say that."

"I just want you to be safe."

"I already told you, we're not doing anything."

"Ok dear, but it never hurts to be prepared just in case."

Even from where Robin is standing he can see Henry's face turn bright red. Robin decides he should let mother and son have this embarrassing moment alone.

"Mom please," Henry whines.

Regina smiles at her son, tell him, "Ok, I'll let it go if you promise to bring Eric home to meet me."

"I told you, it isn't that serious yet."

"You've been dating Eric for two months now. It's time that I formally meet him." Regina folds her arms across her chest and tries to look stern.

"We're just hanging out," Henry insists again. "Wait what do you mean formally?"

"I may have spied on him just a little. You can't expect me not to make sure that the person you're dating is good enough for you."

"Mom!"

"Eric never know. I just slipped an enchanted mirror into his backpack when I bumped into him at Granny's."

"Bumped into him! Mom! Ok, fine, whatever. I give in. I'll bring Eric to dinner tomorrow if you promise never to spy on him again."

Regina grins at Henry, pressing her palm to his still bright red cheek. "Now was that so hard? Please ask him what his favorite meal is."

"You aren't going to make a big deal are you?"

"He's your first boyfriend. I'm allowed to make a fuss. It's my job as your mother. And this is exciting sweetheart."

Henry smiles shyly at Regina "It kind of is," he admits. "I really like Eric."

Regina grins at Henry, and even if this was a terribly awkward conversation, he can't help but feel wonderfully loved in this moment. He wraps his arms around his mom. "I love you Mom."

"I love you too sweetheart." Regina reaches on her tiptoes so that she can press a kiss to her boy's cheek. "Have fun today."

"Thanks. I'll see you tonight."

Regina watches her little boy leave. Not so little, she thinks; he's 5'8 now with a deep voice and his first boyfriend, but still, always, her little boy.

"Good morning my love," Robin greets as he strides into the room. He's trying to look relaxed, Regina knows, but she can tell by his straight back and tense shoulders and that worried crinkle of his forehead, that he's anything but.

"Are you all right?" Regina asks as Robin wraps his arms around her. She lets him cradle her tightly against his chest and wonders what has him upset. She knows it is his greatest comfort just to hold her. Robin sighs with relief, and knowing she has this effect on him brings Regina such joy.

Regina wraps her arms around Robin's waist, rubs gently up and down his back, and presses a kiss against his chest.

"I dreamt I lost you," Robin confesses, and Regina can hear the tears in his raspy voice.

"But you didn't," she promises, nuzzling her nose against his chest. She presses another kiss there and squeezes him more tightly to her. "It was just a dream, and I'm right here in your arms."

Robin winds his hand into Regina's hair, leans down to kiss her properly. He feels her smile against his lips like she does every time he kisses her. Even after two years together he can still make her smile with a simple kiss.

Regina pulls back to look into his eyes, sees the anxiety that he still hasn't been able to shake. She moves her hands up to his neck, stroking her fingers through his hair. "I'm sorry I wasn't there when you woke up."

"You're here now," Robin tells her, tells himself, as he focuses on the feeling of her soft hair between his fingers, the smile he put on her face.

"I am," Regina promises. "Forever."

Regina averts her eyes then, looks down shyly, embarrassed, Robin thinks as he presses his forehead against hers. "This _is_ forever Regina. I cannot bear to be apart from you. I'm not going anywhere."

She looks up at him, her face so open and vulnerable. "I love you so much."

"And I love you. And I am going to keep loving you for our entire lives. Don't you ever doubt that."

She smiles and shakes her head at her insecurities. "We have the whole day alone," Regina says. Roland is with Marian for the day and now Henry is taking an all day hike and picnic.

"Yes, I heard you and Henry talking about his date. It also sounded as though you've blackmailed your son into bringing his boyfriend home for dinner tomorrow." Robin smirks at Regina, who rolls her eyes in reply. "Henry seems happy," Robin comments.

"He does, doesn't he?" Regina asks hopefully. But Robin can hear the fear, the insecurity there.

"Very much so. He's been a happy boy since I met him. A happy young man now."

"I've spent so much time worrying about whether I was selfish in adopting him."

"Selfish? Regina, you are an amazing mother who always puts her son first. Henry is lucky to have you."

"I haven't always been a good mother."

"Every parent makes mistakes, but you raised a young man who knows how to love very very well. Where do you think he gets that from?"

Regina looks at Robin with such doubt in her eyes. He smoothes his fingers against her cheek. "You gave Henry unconditional love from the moment he was first in your arms. He is a happy and well loved young man who doesn't doubt for a moment how much you love him."

"I just want him to be happy."

"He is. You've done right by your boy, and he loves you so much."

Regina sighs and closes her eyes, resting her head against Robin again.

"Henry loves you," Robin tells her again. "I love you, and Roland loves you. And I'm pretty sure Snow loves you despite how much the two of you bicker. You have a family now who loves you Regina."

"I know," Regina whispers against him.

"You deserve all the love in the world," Robin says, one hand tangled in Regina's hair, the other on her waist, pressing her close. "And I am going to spend every moment of my life making certain you know that you are loved and cherished."

Regina looks up at Robin with wet eyes. "I do know. I'm sorry."

Robin smiles, his hand on Regina's cheek, and he looks at her with the same love and understanding that he always does. "You have nothing to apologize for. I am the luckiest man alive to be loved by you and to have the chance to love you in return."

Regina sighs and shakes her head at him and wonders still how she could possibly deserve such a good man. Robin reaches forward and kisses her, kisses her and kisses her until the fear and self doubt disappear from her face, and when he pulls back and rests his forehead against hers, she is smiling softly at him.

"What shall we do with this day to ourselves?" Robin asks.

"Well," Regina says, her arms loosely wrapped around Robin's waist, "I think that we are out of bed prematurely."

"Do you now?" Robin teases.

"I do."

"I suppose we need to remedy that problem right away."

Regina waves her hand and then they're in her bedroom. Robin has gotten used to the feeling of Regina's magic, finds it intoxicating and wonderful.

"Wait there just one minute," Robin instructs Regina, leaves her standing in the middle of the bedroom with an exaggerated pout on her face and disappears for a few seconds into his closet.

"Robin what are you doing?"

"There's something I've been wanting to ask you," he says reappearing with a smile on his face. "I've been thinking about how to make it perfect for months and wondering whether this is something you even want. And if it isn't then nothing need change. But I need to ask you now, because I can't bear for there to be another moment where you don't know exactly how I feel about you. And I do believe that any moment will be perfect because it's us, and we are perfect for each other."

"Robin," Regina gasps. He can't possibly mean what she thinks he means.

"You must know Regina that I am yours forever whether you want to marry me or not. I know what your first marriage was like, and we've never spoken about whether a marriage is something you would ever want to enter into again."

Regina can hear her heart pounding in her ears; she feels dizzy, can't believe this is real. This ordinary normal lazy Saturday is about to become the day that she and Robin get engaged. "I love you Robin. Nothing about what we have bears any resemblance to my marriage to Leopold. How could you ever believe that I would think that your intentions in proposing are anything like his were?"

Robin's palm is on Regina's cheek, her hand coming to rest on his arm as she leans into his hand. "It isn't that. I simply want you to know that if for any reason this isn't something that you want or feel comfortable with, then I won't ask."

"You idiot," Regina says with a smile. "I love you, and I have every intention of spending my life with you. So if you don't hurry up and ask me to marry you, I'm going to have to be the one to ask _you_."

Robin can't contain his grin, can't resist kissing Regina before he drops to one knee and pulls a ring from his pocket. "Regina Mills, I love you with my whole heart and soul, and I always will. Would you make me the happiest man alive and marry me?"

"Yes!" Regina is laughing and smiling and grabbing Robin's arms and pulling him to his feet so that she can kiss him. "I love you Robin," she whispers against his lips. "I love you. I love you." She feels giddy with how ridiculously happy he makes her.

Robin slips the ring onto her finger, a simple band of a rose colored cold. "Thank you," he whispers, and she looks at him with confusion. "For agreeing to marry me. For being my happy ending."

"Thank you for being mine," Regina replies, so overwhelmed by this love and joy that she has been given.

"Always Regina. Always."


End file.
